Will You Ever Come Back?
by Moon Sunflower 89
Summary: A Mariah/Ray Chapter Fic! When Ray leaves his home village to find himself, he never expected to find a left behind love working in a phone business. What will Ray do when he finally finds his beloved Mariah after seven years apart?
1. Chapter One

Ohayo, ppls! AHHAHAHHAHAHA! Third fic. Not bad, on my own personal scale! Man, being a middle schooler and writing stories constantly can be a real pain in the ass, if you know what I mean. I finished this in two days! WEEE! I think I drank too much coffee again! Whoops! ^.^  
  
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New chapter every Tuesday!  
  
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Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade. I speak the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help me toaster. ^.^ ON TO ME STORY, MATEYS!!!  
  
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Will You Ever Come Back? Chapter One By: Moon Sunflower 89  
  
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Mariah sniffled and wiped her already red nose with the back of her hand. "How could he do this?" She asked Lee, who was sad at the prospect of losing his best friend.  
  
Ray had been their friend since they were two, and had done everything together: beyblading, playing, and making up new games.  
  
Mariah felt the worst. Was there something she had done to make him leave their home village? She knew she thanked him for the Beyblade lessons; maybe she was too aggressive. Maybe it was because Ray got sick and tired of protecting her from village bullies.  
  
Lee was afraid that he had scared him off. Sure he was mad at Ray and his Grandfather about the whole White Tiger bit beast incident, but Ray had been his friend longer than that, and he wasn't going to let that get in the way of their eleven-year friendship.  
  
Mariah glanced at Lee and said, "Did you do something to make him leave? Did Gary, Kevin, or Bruce do anything to make him mad?"  
  
Lee glanced back at her with an incredulous expression on his face. "Are you kidding me? Ray and I were like brothers. We never would have done anything to intentionally hurt each other."  
  
"Mariah! Lee!" A small green-haired boy came running towards them, a white envelope in his hand.  
  
"What is it, Kevin?" Mariah asked, wondering what the envelope was. Her eyes lit up as she thought that Ray had wrote them.  
  
"A letter from Ray!" He yelled excitedly. "His mom just found it!"  
  
Mariah snatched it from his outstretched hand and tore it open.  
  
"Dear Mariah, Kevin, Lee, and Gary,  
  
I'm sorry I left on such short notice. I needed to do myself some soul searching.  
  
Mariah: I appreciate yesterday for you defending me from Lee, and I know we will meet up again soon! Please do not be angry!  
  
Lee: I'm sorry, but the bit beast was a surprise for me, too. I thought for sure you were going to get it. I promise to take good care of it for you.  
  
Kevin: You need to stop picking fights with Todd and Mark. Those boys are trouble, especially when it comes to Mariah. Please protect her as I have done in the past.  
  
Gary: You need to stop eating so much! You're going to become fat if you don't stop. Keep practicing with your blade; I know you'll get better!  
  
Bruce: Thanks for being a good friend. Maybe you can take my position on the White Tigers. Mariah wanted so much to go to the championships.  
  
I wish you all the best of luck, and when I return, promise you'll be waiting for me.  
  
Love, Ray."  
  
They sat on the stone wall, thinking about the note.  
  
Mariah's face became feral and she wadded the paper into a ball, throwing it into the street. "How dare he? Treating me like I'm a fragile porcelain doll! I can take care of myself!"  
  
"Yeah!" Gary said. "And I don't eat that much!" Mariah, Kevin, Lee, and Bruce sweatdropped as he shoved a jelly donut into his mouth.  
  
"Well, I for one, say good riddance," Mariah said, crossing her arms indignantly. If Ray wants to leave his friends behind and use some lame excuse, she would let him.  
  
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AH-HA! Finito! How'd you like it? Review and tell me!  
  
ON TO CHAPTER TWO! AHAHAHHAHAHHA! *sweatdrops* 


	2. Chapter Two

Ohayo, fellow anime freaks! ^.^ I am soooo evil! I said I would update every Tuesday, but I had a lot of time, so I figured, what the hell? So, here it is! Chapter Two of 'Will You Ever Come Back?' (By the way, it don't believe it ever mentioned Mariah's last name in the anime, so I made my own up. I hope you don't mind! :-) )  
  
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Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade. I speak the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me toaster! ^.^ Ja ne, and onto ze story! Huh ho!  
  
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Will You Ever Come Back? Chapter Two By: Moon Sunflower 89  
  
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*Seven Years Later*  
"Mariah!" A male's voice shouted over the intercom.  
  
Twenty-year-old Mariah Kaiser walked into her father's office. Mariah and her family had moved to New York four years ago, for when Mariah was sixteen, her father had gotten an internship at a phone company. He had written postcards of his immense knowledge of the working phone, and Mr. Heckleson, the manager, had brought him aboard as long as he had a working employee with him. Of course, he chose Mariah, who had also had knowledge for the phone industry, but it turned out she was supposed to be his secretary.  
  
It took them a few months to say their goodbyes, then they had packed and moved. Lee, Bruce, Gary, and Kevin still kept communications. They still lived in their home village, and Lee stayed there in hopes that Ray would come back; he had since cooled off about the bit beast and was waiting for a letter. He was rather mad at Mariah for leaving, because before she had left, he had come to the startling conclusion that he loved her and always would.  
Mariah had matured a great deal. Her pink hair was down to her waist, but she didn't wear it in her trademark ponytail anymore. Instead it was in two slightly curled pigtails, which were held up by the same dull pink bows. Her golden cat eyes shimmered more, but one had a peculiar dull spot in it; perhaps a memoir of when Ray left her, taking a piece of her with him.  
  
"Yes, dad?" She asked, poking her head into his office, not noticing the other person who was in there.  
  
"Mariah, you know that you need to call me sir or Mr. Kaiser, like all the other secretaries. Mr. Heckleson made it very clear when we started that you would get no special treatment."  
  
She smiled and winked. "Sir, yes, sir!"  
  
"I need you to take care of this man here. He wants to schedule an appointment." He pointed to the man who sat in front of him.  
  
The man stood and Mariah gasped. It was a man with black hair and golden eyes. He stood a few inches taller than her, and had the same build as her father.  
  
This man looked exactly like Ray! But it couldn't be him, her mind thought.  
  
Could it?  
  
"Mariah, this is my new senior consultant. Would you go schedule one for him?"  
  
"One what?" She asked confusedly.  
  
"Um, appointment? For someone to show him around the ropes and his workspace?" Her dad smirked.  
  
"Oh! Um, right this way, sir."  
  
Her dad's smirk was replaced by a frown. "Sure, she can manage 'sir' with him," he mumbled, looking hurt.  
  
Mariah lead the man to her desk and gestured for him to sit down opposite her. "So, when's convenient for you?"  
  
"Well, I think Thursday at-"  
  
The phone ringing cut him off. "Oh, I'm so sorry, but I have to take this call." She picked up the phone. "Hello?"  
  
The man sat at her desk, staring at her. Another typical secretary! He couldn't help but feel that he's met this woman somewhere before.  
  
"Well, Lee, I gotta go. What?"  
  
The man shivered at the name Lee, but then brushed it off. There could be a million of people named Lee.  
  
As the woman kept talking, he noticed a picture by her computer. There were five boys and one girl, all of them standing in front of a house, holding hands and laughing. The picture was in black-and-white, so he couldn't figure out what color their eyes and hair were, also combined with the fact that he had bad eyesight. He couldn't really make out their faces from that far away.  
  
"Okay. Bye!" The woman hung up and turned to him, but before she could say anything, he said,  
  
"May I see that picture, please?"  
  
She automatically knew what he was talking about and swiveled her chair, maneuvering to grab hold of the picture and hand it to him.  
  
The man had a sinking suspicion that he knew who these people were, but just to be sure, he asked, "Who is this?"  
  
"Those are my friends from when I we were twelve. They're Ray, Lee, Kevin, Gary, Bruce, and me."  
  
His suspicions were confirmed. He glanced at her. "Did you say Ray?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"And you're Mariah?"  
  
She looked flabbergasted. "Uh, yeah."  
  
The man got up and hugged her. "MARIAH!"  
  
Mariah was staring to get nervous. What kind of psycho was this guy? "Um, sir, you need to sit down and stop hugging me."  
  
"It's me!"  
  
Mariah still looked confused.  
  
"It's me, Ray!"  
  
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0.o Cliffhanger! Mwahhahahaha! Don't kill me!  
  
*people throw half-eaten jelly donuts at me*  
  
Anyhoo, what will Mariah do? Will she throw donuts at him like you did to me? *glares accusingly at audience*  
Well, this was your Easter treat! I hope you all eat lots of candy and get FAT! Mwahahahah! No, but in all seriousness, have a great Easter and EAT LOTS OF CANDY! I know I will!  
  
You'll all see a crazy hyper thirteen-year-old running amok in the Stater Brothers parking lot! :-)  
  
So, until next time my loyal donut-throwing fans! Ja ne, and happy Easter! (Don't let the Easter Bunny bite your head off! He's evil!) 


	3. Chapter Three

Ahhh! 3rd chappie! I'm so sry 4 the long wait, but I got suspended frm the comp, so I couldn't type or anything. It sucks typing stories on my comp, & my bro broke my floppy disk drive. So I have to write all my stories by hand. They all have blisters. :-(  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade. Plz don't sue me. I'm poor.  
Here it is!  
  
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Will You Ever Come Back? Chapter Three By: Moon Sunflower 89  
  
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"Ray?!" Mariah sputtered incredulously.  
  
"Yeah! Can you believe it? It's been so long! What, four years?"  
  
She detached herself from his arms and snarled ferociously, "You're appointment is tomorrow at three-thirty. Good day!" She left her office, stuffing a piece of paper in his hand.  
  
Ray stood in front of her desk, rather flabbergasted. What was wrong with her? Hadn't she understood the note?  
  
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Mariah sighed and ran a brush through her silky pink hair, staring at her reflection in her vanity mirror. The dull look in her eye had transformed into a shimmering gold. She had seen Ray alive and well, so why was she so unhappy?  
  
It was the fact the he had left us, she told herself. The fact that he left and had never said goodbye to any of them.  
  
She wondered if he had gotten any better at beyblading. She knew she had. Galux, her bit beast, had become her best friend and had protected her no matter what the cost.  
  
Mariah recalled what had happened a week before they had moved to New York. Three boys stood around a tree and watched her practice beyblading with Kevin. After the match, they had run up and stolen Galux.  
  
She had chased them down and used karate, which she had learned from Ray;'s father.  
  
The boys had never dared to mess with her again. Before she left, she had cornered them and told them to stay away from her friends or she'd come back by plane and kick their asses.  
  
Mariah smiled at her mirrored image and said, "Don't kid yourself."  
  
She trekked to her bed and laid down, trying not to think about Ray.  
  
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Ray lied in his bed thinking about Mariah. What had she been so vindictive to him in the office?  
  
He had written the letter so she would understand that he had to leave. He didn't think she'd even hold a grudge. Okay, well, maybe he had, but even if she had, he wouldn't have expected her to hold it for this long. The past Mariah he knew never held a grudge; she was always such a caring person.  
  
He had missed her terribly during those years. He still didn't quite know who he was, but the trip had helped him a great deal.  
  
As he drifted off to sleep he wondered how Gary, Kevin, Lee, and Bruce were doing.  
  
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"Gary!" Kevin shouted, ducking behind a trash can.  
  
Gary stood in the middle of a group of twenty-three year olds, all cracking their knuckles. "See, we just want money. Now, if you could hand us all your cash right now-" A fist connecting with his face interrupted him.  
  
Kevin and the others gasped. Gary had just nonchalantly stuck his fist out and hit him in the face while eating a turkey sandwich.  
  
Now he just got himself into even more trouble, Kevin thought, but was surprised again as he dodged another attack from a boy and kicked him in the stomach.  
  
As the boys retreated Gary blinked and said, "Where'd they go?" He looked genuinely bewildered, but after gaining no response, he shrugged and resumed eating his sandwich.  
  
Kevin sweatdropped and came out of his hiding place. "You haven't changed in seven years."  
  
"I know," two voices said from behind them.  
  
They turned and beheld Lee and Bruce, who both had excited looks on their faces. "You won't believe what just happened! Mariah asked us to visit her!" Lee was excited at the prospect of seeing Mariah again. Over the years, Lee and Mariah had stayed in close contact and Lee had fallen in love with her. He was a little upset that he couldn't go by himself, but maybe he would finally tell her his feelings.  
  
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get packing!" Kevin, Gary, Bruce, and Lee rushed to their houses to get ready. 


	4. Chapter Four

Konnichiwa! It's the rabid dog again! How are ya? This is chappie 4 of 'Will You Ever Come Back?'  
  
Sry it's so shrt, but I ran out of ideas! I assure you, chappie 5 will be very long. I think. :-)  
  
Have fun reading it! I'm getting too last 2 type the disclaimer, so c chappie 1 or 2 or 3 or whichever 1 I put it on.  
  
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Will You Ever Come Back? Chapter Four By: Moon Sunflower 89  
  
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Mariah stood at the airport, unaware of a pair of golden eyes watching her. He saw a plane touch down in the runway and she ran towards the welcoming gate.  
  
A few minutes later, Lee, Kevin, Bruce, and Gary walked through.  
  
My God, Ray, Mariah, and Lee thought simultaneously.  
  
"You guys grew up! It's been a while!"  
  
"So did you," Lee said, perusing her body admiringly. "You're beautiful."  
  
Mariah blushed in embarrassment. "Um, thanks."  
  
Ray's eyes narrowed.  
  
"Well," Kevin broke the awkward silence, "have you seen Ray?"  
  
Mariah's eyes drew together and everyone blinked as they realized Mariah still hadn't gotten over it. "Yes, I have, and I don't want to talk about it."  
  
"You mean you saw him? In the flesh?" Kevin asked excitedly.  
  
Mariah turned her feral gaze on him and his grin faded a little.  
  
"Well, where are we staying?" Bruce asked.  
  
"At my dad's house. We have a few guest rooms. Let's go." They grabbed their boys and left the airport; a pair of golden eyes followed them.  
  
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"Well, Mariah, welcome home," her father said jovially as she opened the door.  
  
"Yup; let's go and set up your rooms, guys."  
  
The boys nodded and climbed up the stairs, but Mariah's father grabbed her elbow. "Mariah, no funny business with those boys," he admonished.  
  
Mariah giggled and said, "As if!" She bounded up the stairs, laughing hysterically.  
  
Her father frowned and continued down to the study.  
  
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Mariah laid in her bed thinking about how much her friends had grown.  
  
She suspected that there was something wrong with Lee. He seemed to look at her different, like he was in love.  
  
Mariah gasped. What if he had?  
  
What if Lee had fallen in love with her?  
  
Mariah got out of bed and stood by her window, staring at the stars. "Oh, God. Please don't let Lee fall in love with me. I'm still not over Ray." She glimpsed a shooting star and closed her eyes, making a wish that somehow she could get over him.  
  
But for some reason, a feeling deep in her heart told her that she could never forget about Ray, no matter how hard she tried.  
  
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Well? I'm not sure if that was good. Plz tell me. I gotta go now, but I'll ^date chappie 5 as soon as I can. Ja ne! 


	5. Chapter Five

Konnichiwa! It's me again! Fifth chapter of 'Will You Ever Come Back?' To me, it was long, but to you, it might not be. ^.^ Sorry if it's short, but I ran out of ideas. Also, in this chapter, Lee is mean and scary! For Lee fans, I'm sorry, but I needed him to be evil if my chapter was going to make sense. I'm not even sure it makes sense even with Lee being evil. o.0  
  
Anyway, here it is!  
  
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Will You Ever Come Back? Chapter Five By: Moon Sunflower 89  
  
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Mariah awoke to her balcony door being shut and opened her eyes to see Ray jumping down off of it. She growled and clutched her blanket, recognizing the sound of crumpling paper. She looked down and saw a note that was scrawled in uneven handwriting. She read it aloud.  
  
"Dear Mariah,  
  
Meet me at Charlie's on Main and Fifth tomorrow night at seven thirty P.M. Don't be late.  
  
Ray."  
  
Mariah tore the paper into little shreds and threw them over the side of her bed. Who did he think he was? Telling her what to do? How dare he? "Damn him!"  
  
"Mariah?" Lee's voice asked through the door. "Are you all right?"  
  
She started at her name being uttered and blushed guiltily. "I'm fine, Lee! I'll be down in a second!"  
  
"Good. I made breakfast."  
  
"Okay." Mariah sighed as Lee's footsteps faded away. That was a close one. Mariah's family was catholic, and if she was caught cursing by anyone, no matter how old, she would have an enraged father to deal with.  
  
She wouldn't go. Ray could go with a blow up doll for all she cared.  
  
But that was the problem. She did care. She threw on a pair of pink overalls and braided her hair, pushing the unwelcome thoughts out of her mind. She climbed down the stairs, but was intercepted by Lee, who had a tray with breakfast on it.  
  
"Oh, Mariah. I was just bringing your breakfast up to you. It seemed like a long time, so I thought you might want to eat it in your room." He smiled cheesily.  
  
Mariah sweatdropped and grabbed the tray from him. "I can eat by myself, thanks."  
  
Lee looked bewildered as Mariah stormed past him. "Are you okay?'  
  
"Fine!" She slammed the kitchen door closed behind her, leaving behind a flabbergasted Lee.  
  
Lee was such a dope, she thought. Now she knew her assumptions were correct. Lee was in love with her.  
  
"Mariah?" Lee asked, opening the kitchen door.  
  
Mariah gritted her teeth and pasted a fake smile on her face. "Yes?"  
  
"Um, I was wondering, do you want to go out tomorrow night?"  
  
Mariah's smile faded from her face. Poor fool, she thought. "I'm sorry. Thank you for the generous offer, but no."  
  
"Why not?" He asked innocently.  
  
"Because," she sighed exasperatedly.  
  
"That's not a reason." Lee was beginning to sound and look a little angry.  
  
"Because I don't like you like that." Mariah dropped her breakfast and started to leave the kitchen; Lee followed her.  
  
(A/N: This is where Lee becomes mean and this is where my writing becomes more lame. ^.^)  
  
"You will go out with me, Mariah, whether you like it or not!" Lee yelled crossly.  
  
Unknown to them, Mariah's father had just opened the door to reveal Ray.  
  
"I will not go out with you, Lee!" Mariah screamed, drawing away from him towards the stairs, intent on confining herself to her room where nobody could reach her.  
  
"Yes, you will!" Lee shouted and grabbed her arm, spinning her back against the wall.  
  
"Mariah!" Ray shouted, running up to her, pulling Lee from in front of her. He gripped Lee's shirt collar and picked him up a few feet from the ground. "Don't you ever touch her again, you bastard!"  
  
Mariah stood in wonder as Ray protected her. Who'd have thought that Lee would do that to her, but most importantly, who would have thought Ray would still have anything yo do with her after the way she had treated him?  
  
By then, everyone had come downstairs, watching the scene with anxious eyes.  
  
Mariah walked up to Ray and put a hand on his arm, saying, "It's okay, Ray. Just put him down."  
  
Ray glanced at Mariah behind his shoulder and threw down Lee. He then grabbed her hand, dragging her up to her room. "We need to talk."  
  
Mariah silently followed him up the stairs, not even bothering to ask him how he knew where her room was.  
  
Ray gently sat Mariah on her bed, drawing a chair to sit in front of her. He grabbed her hands. "Mariah, will you please go out with me tomorrow night?"  
  
Mariah looked into her eyes and was lost in the pools of shining gold, much similar to her own. "Ray," she said hesitantly. "You left us. You can't just come back asking for a date." She walked to the window, staring out. "You left us all alone, without even saying goodbye. We- I needed you, Ray. And you left." Mariah was surprised to find herself on the verge of tears.  
  
"I left a note explaining everything."  
  
Mariah turned to face him. "Really, Ray? Was it supposed to tell me not to feel like I chased you away?"  
  
Ray gulped and stood, enveloping Mariah in his strong arms, tucking her head under his. "I'm sorry, Mariah. I just needed to leave. Please tell me you forgive me."  
  
Mariah looked up. "Of course."  
  
"Will you come tomorrow?"  
  
"I suppose."  
  
"Good. And stay away from Lee. If you come tomorrow, I'll have a surprise for you. And it's not an item."  
  
Mariah nodded. "Okay. I'll be there." I'll always be there for you, she added silently.  
  
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Oh ho ho! Another chapter done! Now, it's just the epilogue! Warning: THE EPILOGUE IS SORTA GAY. In my eyes, at least. GIMME A BREAK! I couldn't think of anything! Onegai forgive me for being a bad writer, but there will be no author's notes at the end. So, I hope you enjoyed these last five chapters, and I hope you enjoy the epilogue!  
  
(Hint: I have a Sailor Moon story coming soon called Love's Promise. Please check it out!)  
  
Ja ne! 


	6. Epilogue

EPILOGUE! *tears up* It's been fun, but this is the last chappie. I'll see you at 'Love's Promise'! Enjoy!  
  
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Will You Ever Come Back? Epilogue By. Moon Sunflower 89  
  
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Ray waited in the restaurant nervously for Mariah.  
  
"I'm here!" A woman's voice said.  
  
"Hey, Mariah. You look beautiful." Ray stood and scooted her into her chair. "Thanks for coming."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
"And I want you to know that I'm sorry for leaving. I just needed to find myself. Can you understand that, Mariah?"  
  
Mariah smiled and took his hand. "Ray, when you left, I felt so heartbroken, and then I thought, 'If he wants to leave, I'll let him!'"  
  
"I never wanted to leave you behind. If you had been able to come, I would have taken you with me," Ray stated truthfully.  
  
Mariah blushed. "Ray, I have something to tell you."  
  
"Me, too."  
  
"Mariah, once again, I apologize for leaving you, but I had told myself to come back and get you when I had finished my soul searching. Many times I found myself thinking about returning to our village, but I thought I wasn't good enough for you, and I wanted to become someone you could be proud of. I wanted so much to be your boyfriend, Mariah, and maybe something more; I love you, Mariah."  
  
Mariah's eyes shone with tentative tears. "I love you, too, Ray."  
  
They leaned across the table and kissed, opening a whole new world of opportunities for both of them.  
  
Seven months later, Mariah and Ray became married. Their guests: Tyson, Max, Kai, Kenny, Emily, Steven, Micheal, Garret, Judy, Mr. Dickenson, Kevin, Gary, and Bruce. Lee was not present. He had moved back to their home village. 


End file.
